Blog

The What, Where, How and Why of IP Cameras

Posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 by James

Source: Security International Online

When looking to buy a new network camera people are faced with eight basic dilemmas.

Although some of them may seem obvious, it is very easy to overlook certain criteria resulting in headaches at a later stage. This is even more so when the decision maker is a non-technical person or someone who has no knowledge of IP networks.

These criteria are:

What features are a “must have” and what others are “nice to have”?

Where will the camera be installed?

What effect will the cameras have on the network/broadband speed?

How will I access the video from the camera?

Where will the video be stored?

How can I monitor specific situations that require my attention?

How easy is it to install the camera?

How much will all this cost?

The Y-cam addresses all these issues because it was designed by people asking these questions and not being satisfied with what the market provided. In fact the Y-cam is built on these eight pillars and here is how it addresses these issues.

The Y-cam has all the “must have” criteria like quick and simple setup, high quality video with sound, MPEG-4 compression, secure wireless connectivity and password protection. It also has most of the “nice to have” features like compact design, neutral colour, motion detection, email alerts low light view, etc…. Check out the rest of the features on our website.

Most manufacturers will tell you that you can install the camera where ever you like, but when you do, you’ll find that it stands out like a soar thumb. The Y-cam’s design has a flat profile and smooth edges so as not to protrude out too much when mounted on walls. Its neutral colour also helps it blend in with the décor while giving the Y-cam a stylish look.

The Y-cam uses MPEG4 compression to compress the video as much as possible while maintaining the high quality and smoothness of the video output. This compression uses as little bandwidth as possible to allow more cameras to be connected to the same network or broadband connection. Most cameras, especially the cheaper models, use MJPEG (Motion JPEG) which is a weak compression when compared to the Y-cam’s MPEG4 and is hungry on bandwidth. This results in poorer quality video with jagged moving images.

The Y-cam video can be accessed from anywhere in the world by means of a web browser, whether you are in the same room or in another continent you can always see what your camera is up to. Simply type the IP address or URL of the camera in an Internet Explorer browser and you can instantly log into your camera to view the video.

Traditionally, CCTV footage is stored on a DVR or other mediums at the site. This, however makes it very easy for intruders to grab the DVR on their way out and leave you without any coverage of what just happened and who they are. On the other hand, the Y-cam video can be stored in numerous locations, from your computer hard drive to a computer in a remote location or even to an FTP server half way round the world.

With today’s busy life style no one can afford to watch hours of video feed from a security camera, apart from the fact that it’s very boring. That is where motion detection comes in. Even though most cameras have this feature only the Y-cam uses vector monitoring to detect motion. This technology drastically reduces false alarms and useless e-mail notifications so you can have peace of mind that alarm notifications are reliable.

Since the Y-cam was designed for non technical users, its installation process is straightforward; connect a cable, pop a CD into your PC and follow some simple instructions.

Most people have budgets to stick to and in most cases this means that they have to buy cheaper products that lack features they need. Not with the Y-cam!! The Y-cam is high on specifications and low on price. In fact, the Y-cam is the most feature rich wireless IP camera in its price bracket, but don’t take our word for it, check out the Y-cam specification on our website.

About us

Y-cam creates professional security cameras for homes & business, keeping people connected with their lives from all around the world.